The present invention relates to a leg protection device provided in an instrument panel of a vehicle, and particularly to a device wherein an airbag, i.e. a knee bag or knee airbag, is inflated in front of a leg of an occupant for protecting the leg in case of collision of a high-speed object such as a vehicle.
A leg protection device has been well known wherein an airbag device is installed in an interior member in front of a seat of an automobile around a height of a lower leg of an occupant. The airbag device is inflated at the time of collision of the automobile for receiving the leg of the occupant, particularly, a lower portion thereof under a knee. The leg protection device comprises a folded airbag, a casing for storing the airbag, a gas generator for inflating the airbag, a lid member for covering a front face of the casing, and the like.
Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-249016 has disclosed an airbag device wherein both left and right sides of an airbag are folded with pleats toward an instrument panel such that a width of the airbag is smaller than a width of the casing, and the airbag is rolled into a rolled portion around an axis along a horizontal direction of the occupant, so that the folded airbag is stored into the casing.
The airbag disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-249016 is folded through rolling and folding with pleats, so that a high-performance inflator is needed for quickly inflating the airbag.
In view of the problem described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a leg protection device in which an airbag is inflated quickly without increasing a capacity of a gas generator.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.